Spatter

Christmas Traditions

Christmas has become a quiet holiday for me.  It's basically down to three traditions: attending midnight Christmas Eve services, sharing a small present exchange with Judy and going to a Chinese restaurant for dinner with friends. I'm pretty much removed from the rest of the hustle and bustle: no shopping to speak of, no parties to go to, and no family get together (that happens at Thanksgiving).  I sort of miss all that, but then again, I remember how exhausted and stressed out I used to get doing it.  Now, I'm pretty much content to let the holiday be a time of reflection and gratitude. 

I received the following meme from Susan at Patchwork Reflections , which has prompted some of this year's reflections in a fun way.  It's called...Getting To Know Your Friends - The Christmas Edition. Here goes...

1. Wrapping or gift bags? I enjoy looking at both, and I like unwrapping more since there's all this intrigue...but on the doing end of things, I prefer gift bags all the way since I never can get the wrapping paper on without big flaws. 

2. Real or artificial tree? If I'm going to do it, it's going to be a real one.

3. When do you put up the tree?   I don't any more.

4. When do you take the tree down? What tree?

5. Do you like eggnog? I like it but used to like it more.  Farm Stores was THE best, but they're gone.  Publix Markets' brand now a close second.  I made the mistake of trying the low-fat version this year. Yuk.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? I'm going to say my first bike, because it was such a memorable event.

7. Do you have a nativity scene? No.

8. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?  There were a myriad of junk gifts from the five and dime sent to us by our Aunt Mildred...I can't even remember what they were, but they were quickly tossed aside. I can't consider them bad though because if it weren't for her gifts, our tree would've looked pretty bare. So I'd have to say  any clothes received when I was a child.  Not surprisingly, they were certain to be a flop.

9. Mail or email Christmas cards? Both...but the hard copies are making a come-back and still go out to some.

10. Favorite Christmas Movie? While I enjoy "It's A Wonderful Life" and "Miracle On 3th Street", I'd have to say my favorite is the original version of "A Christmas Carol".  It's a classic.

11. When do you start shopping for Christmas? No long shopping list here, so it's not something I "do". 

12. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Anything, so long as it looks special.

13. Clear lights or colored on the tree? If I had a tree, it'd be the mixed colored lights...to reflect the many different aspects of me. Clear lights are pretty, but don't evoke any feeling in me.

14. Favorite Christmas song? So many, but I'll go with Silent Night for its message.  Runner-ups are: Hark The Herald Angels Sing because I used to like to sing it, White Christmas because of its feeling, and Santa Baby because it's fun. 

15. Travel at Christmas or stay home? We stay put. The only travel is to the neighborhood Chinese restaurant for dinner.

16. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer? Oops.  I can't.

17. Angel on the tree top or a star? I've done both, but if doing today, I think I'd go with the star. 

18. Open the presents Christmas Eve or Christmas Morning? Usually Christmas morning.

19. Most annoying thing about this time of year? How commercial...and now political...it is. 

20. Do you decorate your tree in any specific theme or color? No tree, but wouldn't do one color if I did. See number 13.

21. What do you leave for Santa?   Wouldn't leaving something for him violate some sort of federal law?  :-)

22. Least favorite holiday song? Any of them by the time they're done playing them twenty million times. 

23. Favorite ornament? Any one that was "home made" and/or had a personal history.

24. Family tradition?  No one thing...just the entire day of being together and how it always played out: first my brother and I opened a few gifts - to keep us happy and quiet while we waited for the rest of the family to get there.  Then, the rest of the gift giving, playing, and eating.   

25. Ever been to Midnight Mass? Yes.  It's one of my new traditions.

26. Most memorable good deed you witnessed or participated in during the holidays? Volunteering to help serve Christmas dinner at a homeless shelter.

Anyone reading this is welcome to participate in this meme either by a post on a blog or as a comment here. For the bloggers, you're supposed to:

• Link to the person that tagged you, and post the rules on your blog.

• Share Christmas facts about yourself.

• Tag seven random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.

• Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Peace & Love,      

Post Note
I didn't forget to tag...I just decided not to.

Friday Fact: The Season's Drink

Many believe that eggnog is a tradition that was brought to America from Europe. This is partially true. Eggnog is related to various milk and wine punches that had been concocted long ago in the "Old World". However, in America a new twist was put on the theme. Rum was used in the place of wine. In Colonial America, rum was commonly called "grog", so the name eggnog is likely derived from the very descriptive term for this drink, "egg-and-grog", which corrupted to egg'n'grog and soon to eggnog. At least this is one version...

Other experts would have it that the "nog" of eggnog comes from the word "noggin". A noggin was a small, wooden, carved mug. It was used to serve drinks at table in taverns (while drinks beside the fire were served in tankards). It is thought that eggnog started out as a mixture of Spanish "Sherry" and milk. The English called this concoction "Dry sack posset". It is very easy to see how an egg drink in a noggin could become eggnog.

The true story might be a mixture of the two and eggnog was originally called "egg and grog in a noggin". This was a term that required shortening if ever there was one.

With it's European roots and the availability of the ingredients, eggnog soon became a popular wintertime drink throughout Colonial America. It had much to recomend it; it was rich, spicy, and alcoholic.

In the 1820's Pierce Egan, a period author, wrote a book called "Life of London: or Days and Nights of Jerry Hawthorne and His Elegant Friend Corinthina Tom". To publicize his work Mr. Egan made up a variation of eggnog he called "Tom and Jerry". It added 1/2 oz of brandy to the basic recipe (fortifying it considerably and adding further to its popularity).

Eggnog, in the 1800s was nearly always made in large quantities and nearly always used as a social drink. It was commonly served at holiday parties and it was noted by an English visitor in 1866, "Christmas is not properly observed unless you brew egg nogg for all comers; everybody calls on everybody else; and each call is celebrated by a solemn egg-nogging...It is made cold and is drunk cold and is to be commended."

Of course, Christmas was not the only day upon which eggnog was popular. In Baltimore it was a tradition for young men to call upon all of their friends on New years day. At each of many homes the strapping fellows were offered a cup of eggnog, and so as they went they became more and more inebriated. It was quite a feat to actually finish one's rounds.

Our first President, George Washington, was quite a fan of eggnog and devised his own recipe that included rye whiskey, rum and sherry. It was reputed to be a stiff drink that only the most courageous were willing to try.

Eggnog is still a popular drink during the holidays, and its social character remains. It is hard to imagine a Christmas without a cup of the "nog" to spice up the atmosphere and lend merriment and joy to the procedings. When you try out some of the recipes on this site, remember that, like many other of our grand traditions, there is history and life behind that little frothy brew.

The above was taken entirely from Indepthinfo.com

Tracking Time

Life,
what is this thing
why is it even,
what does it bring?
Dare I think that there is reason...
Dare I think that there is rhyme?
As I sit here living, dying
I cannot help but track the time.

Wordless Wednesday

"Napping"
From the Wings gallery @ bydamanti

For more Wordless Wednesday photos, click here.

 

Mrs. McRay

I happened to pass by what used to be my elementary school. It stopped being an elementary school many years ago...becoming some sort of special education center.  I'm not sure where the little ones who live in that area go to school now. 

The building actually looks very much the same as it did in 1958-1963...pretty incredible for this neck of the woods...and seeing it brought up a myriad of memories...

• Being a safety patrol officer.  How proud I was!

• Walking home via the neighborhood drug store and candy counter.

• My first book report. I was inspired to use a pull down map as a visual aid in giving my book report on the exploration of the Mississippi River.

• Growing little plants in milk cartons and making macaroni laden pencil holders out of empty frozen juice cans. These and similarly made ashtrays were proudly presented to my parents as gifts.

• Walking single file wherever we went.  Do they still do that?

• Being selected to be interviewed by a Sun-Sentinel columnist.

• Watching the reaction of my favorite teacher when the news of President Kennedy's assassination came to her via a whisper in the ear.

• Coming to realize how much I loved to learn.

But there's one memory that really stands out of my time at Pine Ridge Elementary:  my first grade class with Mrs. McRay. 

That's me in the first row on the right side...sitting next to my first boyfriend...at least that's what I thought.  It's worth clicking on the picture to see it larger. 

In many ways, this was a typical class.  We had cigar boxes on our desks to hold our supplies, and we sang songs and wrote our letters with that paper that was lined to help us know how.  But something else took place in Mrs. McRay's class. Children who misbehaved got tied up.  You read that correctly. 

Good ole Mrs. McRay actually sat unruly children in a chair and tied them up. Of course, I never, ever had to be tied up.  I was  your typical  white middle class white girl with a German streak who had a love affair with rules and  an innate need for approval to boot.  No, my experience was different.  I was the one that was often called upon to go to get the milk for our lunches - no cafeterias back then - and then feed the milk to the tied up child.  Can you imagine that happening today?!

I often joke that between my being a safety patrol officer and doing this, it's no wonder I ended up in the career I did.

Post Note
Here's my interview with the columnist.  Click on it to get to a text you can read.  I think he played up some of my responses to make for good reading...I was never this flippant.  Still, I do remember thinking that this guy was an idiot.  Excuse the dark background on page 2...the article was laminated on a green background by my dad.

A Walk In The Park

My friend Meg was in town over the weekend.  She comes here once or twice a year to visit her parents and whenever she does, we make a point of getting together too. It's a nice arrangement.

We've made a tradition of having our "getting togethers" at a local natural habitat. Last year we went to Loxahatchee Wildlife Refuge and Butterfly World. This time round we decided to go to  Gumbo Limbo Environmental Complex at Red Reef Park in Boca Raton.  It's not big, but it does offer respite amidst the development.   

We explored the boardwalk...

And we took pictures.  Of course we did!  Here are a few of the keepers.

That's an old Gumbo Limbo tree above.  If you click on the picture, you can see its very distinctive bark. Below is a view of the ocean from the lookout tower.

The walk was full of Gumbo Limbos, Saw Palmettos, Cabbage Palms (Florida's state tree), Papayas...

Ink Spots, and Wild Coffee trees with their berry clusters...

Wild Coffee trees don't have anything to do with the coffee we drink.  But its berries are a favorite treat of birds.

Being as though it was the middle of the day, we didn't see too much in the way of wildlife. We did happen upon a raccoon family and a lot of spiders. 

We came to the end of the boardwalk and went on to their tanks where we saw some marine life including some very charming loggerhead turtles.  Finally, with our memory cards full and our batteries low, we headed back home for a change of clothes and to pick up her parents for dinner at her father's favorite eatery. 

It was a nice day all day.

Weather Or Not

Lake Okeechobee is down to about 10 feet.  Water restrictions have been further tightened. While away for the summer I had thought that south Florida had gotten a lot of rain, but evidently not.

I don't think we're in as bad shape as Atlanta and Lake Lanier, but we're not well by any means. This weekend rain was called for...even at the lake...thanks to the remnants of Olga and a cold front converging.  But so far, and typical of late, the amount that's fallen has been disappointing...certainly not the deluge needed. 

I look up and watch the gray clouds passing.  I call to them...asking in my most polite manner to please stay a while and empty themselves on us...but they just move on, snubbing us below.

Gray clouds passing by
Without leaving any rain -
Wet would feel so good.

 

Paddy O'brien

While making pictures with the clouds
I saw a lion with mane so proud,
so peaceful looking at me -
little did I realize
(when I could not stop my eyes from finding him)
that you were he -
It sounds so impossible,
so incredible,
that you're not around to do
all that we did together
be it in fun or confidence.
But now -
how could one so small
leave such a huge emptiness?
I just blinked,
turned my head
and my lion separated into nothingness.

This poem was written about my cat Paddy O'brien who died in 1971.  I had been out of town and when I returned, my mom broke the news to me.  After she told me the time he died, I realized it was at the exact same time that I was driving home...making pictures with the clouds.

Friday Fact - Fedora Hats

I just finished watching "Guys And Dolls" for the umpteenth time.  Like all  multiple-view movies, each time I watch I pick up on a little something extra - it could be the expression of a person in the background of the scene...it could be the way a scene was staged...it could be anything.  Tonight what I noticed was that in most scenes the men wore fedora hats. 

Fedoras became fashionable in the early part of the 20th century...popular in cities for its ability to protect the wearer's head from wind and weather better than the boulder style that had been worn.  As a bonus, the fedora could be rolled up when not in use. Finally, a practical fashion!

It wasn't long before the fedora became an essential part of a man's suit and business attire. Most men just didn't go outside without one.  Think about it.  Any movie or TV show set in the 1930s, 40s and 50s will prove this out.   

Alas, all good things come to an end, and so it was with fedoras.  You can still find them on the heads of bohemian types and Hasidic Jews, but other than that, they're few and far between...certainly the exception and not the rule. 

So what happened?  How...why did they go out of fashion?

Fedoras fell out of popularity during the late 1950s and early 1960s...ironically, not long after "Guys And Dolls" was released in 1955.  Their demise has been attributed to three things that were happening at about the same time: (1) the West Coast adopted casual clothing as its norm and the rest of the country followed suit; (2) there was a switch in style from large lapels and ties to thin ones, making shorter brimmed hats more popular; and (3) shrinking automobiles often made it difficult to wear a hat while driving. 

And that's a Friday Fact!

 

 

 

A Job For Shaynee

Our dog Shaynee is about to become a certified therapy dog. At least we hope so since we think it'd be a perfect match:  she'd make a lot of people happy and she'd love doing it.  Not only does she love people...she loves having a "job".  Up in Floyd, she chases deer and crows and voles...

But here in Florida, she has to be inside a lot. "Work" is rather hit and miss and she's a bit bored...waiting for us to be available for outside time or a car ride.

Judy's already attended the humane society's orientation session and next Monday she'll be having the required one-on-one interview with the director of volunteer services to discuss Shaynee's temperament and ability to obey commands. At some point, Shaynee will have to make an appearance to demonstrate same. 

Up until the other day, we've actually been a little concerned. Not about her walking properly (heeling) on a leash. Despite her being rather footloose and fancy free up in Floyd...

...as soon as Judy put Shaynee back on her training leash, she remembered all of her lessons. So things are looking good there.

What concerned us had to do with two of Shaynee's traits:  her exuberance when meeting people, and her tendency to duck and run when someone puts their hand out to pat her on the head.  She's quicker than Mohammed Ali. 

Good news: remarkably, when on a leash her exuberance is sufficiently controlled. And as for the other, we've started holding a treat out with our hand as we reach out to pat her head.  Then, after she sticks around for both, we're telling her "good pat".  It's working.

I'll give an update as soon as there is one.  Keep your fingers crossed!